16.
Aarav.
Mine to cherish.
Mine to protect.
Mine to love with a tenderness I never knew I was capable of.
His name is a quiet prayer on my lips, a hymn that hums in the chambers of my heart.
Aarav—he is not just the man I married. He is the one engraved in my heart.
And yet, love...
Love has never been kind to the Shekhawats.
We have worshipped it, bled for it—and buried it.
I learned how to love by watching my father, the way his eyes would soften at the mention of my mother's name, the silence he wore like mourning long after she was gone.
He loved her like the world would end if he didn't.
And still, he lost her.
We all did.
To monsters.
But how do you curse the monsters, when you are one of them?
We breathe in blood and betrayal.
Our hands are calloused with war.
Our legacy is forged in shadows, written not in words but in warnings.
We are feared. We are obeyed. But we are never free.
And yet...
Aarav makes me forget all of that.
He looks at me and sees a man, not a myth.
He listens to my silence. He translates the violence in my veins into something gentle. Something human.
And that's what terrifies me.
Because I am scared—truly, deeply scared.
Of how fragile happiness feels when you've known only survival.
Of how easily the world can steal him from me.
Or worse—how easily I could destroy it myself.
What if the monster in me rises? What if I hurt him, not with hands, but with the weight of this life I've dragged him into?
He's too precious.
Too pure for the dirt that clings to my name.
If ever the day comes when he chooses to walk away...
If I'm ever the reason his light dims—
I won't know how to live through that.
Because I may survive bullets. I may endure betrayal.
But losing Aarav?
That would be the end of me.
"Shaurya?" the voice of my heart interrupted my thoughts. I looked at him, he had a frown in his face.
"You look tired, hume shayad aaj bahar nahi jaana chahiye tha, aap kabse sofa pe baithe ho", Aarav said while running his hands through my hair.
"I'm not tired, humare paas aayein", I said as I pulled him onto my lap and wrapped my arms around him. He stayed still.
"Kya hua, humari jaan chup kyu hai?" I asked kissing his cheeks.
"Can I ask you something Shaurya?" he murmured. He was weirdly quite.
"Of course".
"Shaurya do you like my body?" he said. I thought I heard wrong.
"Come again. What?"
"Ughh Shaurya. I said do you like my body?" He said again. Now with a pout.
"Of course, I love it. I love everything about you baby", I said while I pecked his pouty lips.
"Mmm".
I knew something was wrong. He has been checking himself out in front of the mirror a lot lately.
I gently adjusted him on my lap, giving a support to his bum with my arms.
"You know I love you right? I can't imagine any other person. My mind is so full of you. If that's what you're thinking about". I said while resting my head on his collarbones.
"Besides, isn't your bum curvy enough hmm?" I said with a smirk. Aarav gently slapped my face. I chuckled as my baby was clearly becoming a tomato.
"How do you know what I meant Shaurya?" he murmured.
"Well, you should start deleting your search history on my laptop", I said teasing him.
Hey! That's not fair!" he protested, his bottom lip jutting into a soft pout. His hands found their way to the nape of my neck, feather-light, as if anchoring himself.
That's when I saw it — a small velvet box in his hand.
"Aarav..."
"You once said we'd get married in Greece," he began, voice steady but eyes shining. "But for me, this Shekhawat thread... it's no less sacred. Shayad humare beech sinddor aur magal sutra nahi rahenge ,but I've already worn the thread of your name. "
My throat tightened.
He smiled gently and caressed my hair, brushing it back from my forehead. "So... are you about to propose?" I teased, cocking an eyebrow. "Should I start fake-crying now ?"
"Shut up. Drama doesn't suit you, old man," he shot back, rolling his eyes with a smirk. "Aur waise bhi aapki acting bohot hi kharab hai".
I laughed. He had always had this way of making everything feel light even when the air was thick with emotion.
"And for the record," he continued, "it's not a proposal. I just... I can't wait until Greece. I want to say what's in my heart. Now."
He opened the box. Nestled inside was a simple gold ring. Elegant and clean — and unmistakably royal. A single engraved 'A' glinted under the light.
"So, Shaurya Shekhawat," he said, his voice lower now, "marry me."
I kissed the tip of his nose before offering him my hand, smiling. "Hum apne Rajkumar ko mana kaise kar sakte hain?"
He flushed, just slightly, as he slipped the ring onto my finger. His touch lingered.
And then... he began.
"Shaurya, you are my home. You protect me like a warrior, and love me like a poet. You make me feel safe in a world that never promised me safety."
He glanced at me but made a face. "Ughh... that doesn't feels right. Scripted lag rahi hai. Let me begin again".
My husband is so cute. My heart is aching.
He took a deep breathe and begin again.
"Shaurya, I have loved you since forever. Maybe we started off as brothers, but I knew had a crush on you since I was 12. Aapne- aapne", his voice broke. I rubbed hi back comforting him.
"Aapne hamesha sabse pehle mere baare mein socha. Main aapko itna pagal krta hoon par aap phir bhi humse pyaar krne lage Shaurya".He paused, as if letting the weight of his words settle between us. Then his voice grew steadier—softer, but full of resolve.
"Now I won't let you go from my life so easily Shekhawat.
I vow to hold your hand forever. I vow to be your husband forever.
I vow to be yours forever. I'm Aarav Shaurya Shekhawat, please never forget that.
That's not just a name. That's my true identity.
There's no Aarav without Shaurya",He wiped at his own tears with a nervous little laugh and added in a softer voice, trying to lighten the moment:
"Aur main aapse waada krta hoon, subah ki pehli jali huyi kaali chaii aap mere haathon to peeyenge ", he said cutely. But I couldn't force myself to react. I was unable to move from his words. The words from my angel.
"And we won't fight. Ever. I can't bare to see you sad or upset. I won't do anything that would make you mad at me. I vow I'll never leave you, even if we fight. Well normal couples do fight. So yes we'll fight I guess. I'll never leave unless you ask me to".
There was another beat of silence before his smile returned—shy and sure. "But I know my husband can win back my heart, no matter whatever happens".